Children of Artemis
by Angelius Cullen
Summary: Family is all that we have. But sometimes everything has to end. We are not men. We aren't human. We arent meer vampires parents tell their children. We are the Children of the Night. We are the children of Artemis. And we are Death itself" M.V.
1. The Return of The Executioner

Chapter 1 The return of the Executioner

The room was now silent. The pounding heat of last night subsided into sheer nothingness. My hunger is satiated and she now means nothing to me. The darkness is welcoming like it always is and nothing moves in its still embrace. Her cool hands lay on my bare chest as still as stone empty of all warmth, and life. She lay dead on the black sheets next to me. Her wrists open to the world and to the never ending darkness this room can generate.

A loud knocking echo'd through the walls as someone stood at my front door. I simply moved her cold hands to her side as I dressed in a simple pair of black pants and a black dress shirt as I left the hollow room that once again has seen another soul cast from its body to feed my needs.

There were two of them at the door. They say they're NYPD detectives. One named Thomas Troy and the other Afia Brown bored me with such talk of abductions and me being seen with the last missing girl...who ironically is lying dead not twenty feet away from two of the city's finest.

"Do you mind if we have a look around?" Detective Brown asked already looking carefully around my living room while her partner took a slow step towards my bedroom. I simply sipped my drink and said "Yes I would mind, Detective."

"Something to hide Mr. Vyle?" asked Detective Troy. I sighed deeply before answering.

"Detective Troy inside that bedroom you'll find the latest missing girl who I believed was an Ashley." I simply called from over my shoulder as I sat and sipped a bit of coffee from a mug on the kitchen counter. Detective Brown immediately drew her firearm and pointed the barrel directly at my chest as her partner did the same before opening the door to that God forsaken bedroom and gazed at the lifeless corpse lying on the satin black bedspread.

"Afia!!! She's in here!" he called out to his partner but to no avail. Afia Brown stood stock still with the barrel of her pistol aimed directly at me. Her brown eyes slid in and out of focus as my eyes bore deeper into her than any other glaze she's ever met before. I whispered gently to her as I stood and walked toward her.

"Holster the gun Afia and sleep." Before my sentence was finished the standard sidearm was securely in its shoulder-holster and Detective Brown collapsed into a deep slumber on the carpet.

"What the fuck are yo-?" Detective Troy started to say as he witness the hypnotism that just took place. I closed the distance between us in less time than an Olympic runner and grabbed the gun from the shocked detective. He immediately tried to attack with his left which I anticipated and avioded easliy by ducking under the oncoming blow and ended up behind the officer. I then grabbed the left arm and wrap my free hand under the officer's chin forcing the shoulder and head apart before rearing back and sinking fanged canines deeply into the soft flesh at the base of the neck. The warmth of blood flowed into me as flittering images of memories past filled my vision. Images of a woman, kids, and police crossed my sight as the blood filled me with every passing second.

"Damnit Malkavius you dont have to kill them!"

I released my victim at that. The voice was young atleast thats how it sounded at first. Underneath the voice of a twenty-one year old hispanic lied six-hundred years of power and strength. The voice belonged to my brother.

"Dariden" I let Detective Troy's unconious body collapse from my grip with a thud against the floor.

"These are your humans?" I spat through a mouthful of blood. He mearly shrugged and stood on the balcony where he'd apparently arrived at before saying:

"Yes brother, I wanted to see what you'd do if our secret were to become...public." he grinned. Its been over a century since I've seen Dariden. He left to go back to Spain about one-hundred fifteen years ago. It feels like yesterday me and our older sisters Kael and Shatayja watched him walk away from us to join with those old bats in Europe. He betrayed us to join them, the only other coven as strong as we were. To be honest I hated him for it. He was my brother, he discovered me alone and cold three-hundred years ago and took me to Shatayja, Kael and our father Vyle. He said I had a heart of an animal and blood of fire and the world should know my name my real name not the one my masters gave me. He convinced Father Vyle to offer me immortality and run in the darkness until the Sun itself dies and the heavens burn from its blaze, and after two-hundred years of running and fighting side by side he decides to leave us for the enemy. It took everything I had not to rip his head off here and now but I couldn't...as much as I hate him I couldn't kill him. He's my brother after all.

"Why are you here Dariden?"

"What? no 'hello?' No 'how you been for the last 120 years?"

"Why are you here Dariden?" I asked again, letting my anger pool into it this time.

"Sheesh, anyway we have to gather the others." he said dryly

"Dude I doubt Kael's gunna throw you a welcome back party bro"

"Malkavius-"

"Malkam" I corrected him curtly

"Malkam...the Old One's are on the move..." he said darkly. I studied his deep crimson eyes allowing the information to seep in.

"Surely you gotta be-"

"War is coming to this city and our small but eager nation will be wiped out of existence if we dont do something now." he finished. Impossible, I thought. if the Old Ones were on the move Kael would've felt it months ago. However, Dariden has spent the last century with them in Rome and would know more about the Old Ones than myself or Kael.

"Shit" I whispered to nobody in particular. "Follow me, Dariden."

"Where to,little brother?" he quirred crossing his arms and leaning on the balcony railing.

"We're going to see our big sister" I said. I siftly sprinted toward the balcony and past Dariden's lean figure as I planted one foot onto the balcony railing and rocketed off into the cool night sky high above the still heart that is Central Park in the concrete beast of Manhattan. A soft flapping of leather carried on the wind as Dariden rocketed up towards me as I climbed up into the lowest cloud cover.


	2. The Paranoia of Death

Chapter 2 The Paranoia of Death

We soared high over the massive skycrappers of Manhattan. Over Rockefeller Center, Times Square and past the Empire State Building. We climbed higher and higher from the blazing city lights and into the cool and damp sanctuary of open sky. Near the Brooklyn Bridge we turned east and sped into Brooklyn at about one-hundred or so miles an hour. Into East New York and over Ozone Park where we made our rapid dive to the waiting earth below. Dariden shot past me more often than once and was forced to check his speed time and time again due to my inability to keep up pace. We had to land here in Queens as to not attract unwanted attention from the JFK air radars that would surely pick us up if we flew too close so we took a more practicle approach towards Kael's Far Rockaway home. The Mott Ave bound A train.

We walked unseen on to the Aquaduct and Conduit platform and waited in silence for the arriving train. However, Dariden was the one to first break the quiet bliss, much to my displeasure.

"So Malkavius-"

"Malkam" I corrected but he took no heed to my words and kept onward.

"-its been a long while since I've seen you. You know I thought of you often little brother. The ones in Italy the rest of our kind that are in league with the Old Ones...they're not as strong as you." he said which annoyed me in the utmost.

"Dariden stop it. I dont see for over a century and now your hear talking about you missed me. Why are you here Dariden why? Hell Why did you leave in the first place?" I screamed at him my frustration bubbling over in on itself. He stood there head down his dark hair pulled back tightly as a flash of a battle long ago where his younger brother Malkavius faught his all to make his brother stay but even that wasnt enough for Dariden's uncanny speed and strength. There was nothing the 600 year old vampire could say to his younger brother.

"I'm sorry, Malkavius I really am brother I can not tell you my reasons for leaving you and the girls behind." for a brief second Malkavius saw a flash of sincerity in his brother's eyes but he wasn't convinced by the appology and kept a smug look plastered on his face.

"Are you quite finished? That was very heartfelt but you'll excuse me if my heart remains as still as its been for 300 years. Besides I can hear a train coming." I said with a harsh layer of sarcasim peppered in. The Mott Aveneue bound A train arrived fifteen minutes later and we boarded in silence.

The train car was packed to the brim with Far Rockaway riders and I couldn't help but grin at Dariden's lack of balance in the rocking steel car. Who would think that a being who's lived over half a milenium had balance issues like this.

"Whats wrong lost your land legs?" I called from my place against the doors. He clutched the pole so tightly I could here the solf whin of bending steel as he gently wobbled to the train's motion.

"They dont have trains in Italy we either run or fly."

"Wow when was the last time you, I dont know, werent in Italy?" I called with a slight grin playing at the edge of my lips. Dariden's next few words wipped that grin out before it even existed.

"When I left you and the girls." He said as calmly as if it were nothing at all. Pain echoed through me at his words. It scorched down to my very soul, I hated my brother with a passion only matched by my love for him and I knew I'd never understand that about us and neither would he.

We rode in silence from there on. The stations began to blur by as our stop approached. Dariden kept his glaze glued to the window and watched the ocean waves crash and churn in the dark sea. "It sounds so beautiful." he said quietly to himself as we roared above the sleeping suburbs of Far Rockaway. I said nothing as the familar waves broke against the Queens shore one after another, in the strange never ending dance of the moon.

"This is Mott Avenue Station Last Stop Last Stop. This train is no longer in service please exit the train. I repeat last stop!"

Dariden tapped me on the shoulder and I immediately shrugged away from his touch. A hint of anger etched its way across my face as hurt flashed across Dariden's. I no longer cared what my "brother" thought of me. He's made his choice and I've made mine and now we have to live eternity with it.

We glided across the darkened streets like shadows in the still night air. Dariden's black duster flapped softly through the breeze and I led the way in nothing more than black jeans, boots, and a black dress shirt. The wind danced through my low cropped hair as Dariden's long dark mane fought against the restraints of his tight ponytail. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as Kael's energy riddled the night air. Dariden stopped in amazement at the power that governed the night sky.

"My God that's Kael." his whispered. I simply turned and grinned.

"Yea bro what did you think we've been doing since you left? Sleeping until you return? No bro we're not the Italians. 125 years is a long time to train ourself to mold those around you and reach levels previously unattainable. I know you've grown too Dari. I can feel your strength and I can see your military trainings and your Royal Italian Fucking Guard." I had to stop myself this anger was misplaced. I hate losing control of my emotions like that...The emptiness is much more settling.

I turned and stalked away from my brother knowing he would follow. After a few more minutes of silence we turned onto Chandlier Street and made our way to the second house on the left. The house looked ordinary enough but the electricity in the air almost ignited. Kael's pyschic energy turned the air around me into physical weight as pressure built with everystep pushing down on Dariden and myself.

The moment my hand laid upon the knob of the front door the invisible pressure lifted from my shoulders and the door swung open wide to show a darkened house. A quick movement inside the house caught my attention as a sleek black cat bolted from behind the opened door and onto the dark stairway. As the long black tail streaked into pure darkness a long slender leg emerged from the same tangible blackness. She was naked except for a thin midnight blue bed sheet wrapped around her body. Her body left little to the imagination but the beast of desire inside wanted to taste her again. Her hair was as black as the wings of a raven and it hung over her shoulders down her back and ended just above the delicate lining of her ass. Her scent hung in the air as the smell of roses coiled through me. Her eyes as yellow as the Harvest Moon and the pupils meer slits of blackness were the only thing to arouse unease in anyone. Her beauty held me in it thrall while the beast of sex and blood clawed its way to the surface. I ignored that part of myself just as I have before and before that.

I could feel Dariden's body go stiff beside me. His breathing caught as he caught sight of the amazingly beautiful woman in front of us. She stepped lightly from the stairs and stalked her way towards us. Her burning yellow eyes locked on to the bloody crimson iris' of my own. Every step she took towards me her power rolled over my skin mingling with my own in a dance we both knew would only end in blood if left to fruition. She stood so close to me her breast rested against me as she stared into my bright bleeding eyes.

"I dont have time for this Kitty where's Kael?" I asked as she jumped back in fright.

"Damnit Malkam I had you." she said as disappointment bled into those brillant eyes.

"Ive been using tricks like that before you were even born little pussy cat. I fed your lust once and thats the way it will remain." I spat at her. She scurried into the darkness of the house where she changed back into the small cat that I startled upon entry.

"Fucking shapshifter plays games like that again and shes Chinese Food I swear." I mumbled to myself...knowing good and well everyone in the house could probably hear me. We made our way upstairs in search for our oldest sister. it wasnt long til the blood was in the air and the most powerful pyschic on the western hemisphere...


End file.
